Gael GarcÃa Bernal & Jonás Cuarón – Desierto
“The main motivation was to portray our biggest nightmare.”
Best of the (Would Be) Fest – SXSW 2020
On March 6th, 2020, the City of Austin decided that for the first time in 34 years, SXSW would be cancelled and shut down due to concerns and impending threat of Coronavirus. Though absolutely, unquestionably and 100% the right call, there was a lot of debate, concern and unrest amongst many attendees and those who […]
Top 10 Films of 2019
KIKO MARTINEZ Editor and Founder After watching 228 films in 2019, here is a list of my 10 favorites, plus and a few honorable mentions. 1. Marriage Story Director and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Noah Baumbach knows divorce well — personally and, in turn, cinematically. His 2005 independent, dark comedy The Squid and the Whale was a […]
Cinematic Spillover: Short Reviews of Ready or Not, The Peanut Butter Falcon, David Crosby and More
It’s 2019 and, against all odds, singer-songwriter David Crosby is still alive. It’s a somber concept at the center of David Crosby: Remember My Name, a candid documentary on the unstable life and career of its title subject – one of the founding members of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. First-time director A.J. Eaton taps into Crosby’s mind as he contemplates the mistakes he’s made in his life, mortality, addiction, the friends and lovers he’s lost along the way and his contribution to the musical counterculture of the 1960s. Like the documentary Echo in the Canyon from earlier this year, the best footage comes when Crosby is front and center telling both funny and tragic stories about his past and exorcising his demons. “Every minute that you get is precious,†he says. “Time is the final currency.†As a documentarian, Eaton plays it straight – allowing Crosby’s words to direct the narrative and giving him a platform to speak from the heart. Most importantly, the film is not an exercise in hero worshiping. Crosby’s warts are visible for all to see. While it’s unknown if a project like Remember My Name can move some people to reconnect with Crosby (he’s burned a lot of bridges in the last half century) and make amends, the doc makes a good argument for why they should. In the end, Remember My Name feels a lot like the 2014 music documentary Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me – a touching farewell to an exceptional talent.
Them That Follow
“Unable to find the emotional hook needed to express extremely personal issues.”
CineSnob’s Top 10 Films of 2018
It’s been a long year and a lot of movies. Here’s a look at what CineSnob.net critics Jerrod Kingery, Kiko Martinez and Cody Villafana put on their list of the best movies this year. JERROD KINGERY – Contributing film critic 10. Bumblebee – As fan of “Transformers†for as long as I can remember, the […]
Roma
“What ‘Roma’ lacks in standard narrative substance, it makes up for in Cuarón’s skill as a visual storyteller.”
At Eternity’s Gate
“Confronts van Gogh’s mental instability with inventive style and philosophical reflection.”
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
“The decision to stray away from a kid-friendly movie poses problems.”
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
“Combination of dark comedy and drama builds on the narrative’s stranger-than-fiction premise.”
First Man
“A commendable technical achievement. Director Damien Chazelle is at the top of his game.”
Venom
“The weird desire to turn the inky black monster into a do-gooder…blunts the whole thing from the start.”